


We Caught Onto Something

by TheseLinesofLightning



Category: Strictly Come Dancing RPF
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Relationship Fluff, just ALL THE FLUFF OKAY, just absolute pure fluff, so much fluff you'll drown in it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29134335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheseLinesofLightning/pseuds/TheseLinesofLightning
Summary: Ranvir and Giovanni's daughter turns five and it prompts a little look back over their time together.
Relationships: Giovanni Pernice/Ranvir Singh
Comments: 12
Kudos: 22





	We Caught Onto Something

**September 2027**

Ranvir leant against the kitchen sink, looking out of the window into her back garden. A huge bouncy castle sat in the far corner, the treehouse that her husband had built was decorated with bunting, balloons and banners and a huge table with mostly eaten party food with a big white box in the middle sat by the back doors. She grinned to herself as she watched Giovanni follow his daughter into the bouncy castle, her screams of delight echoing around the space.

How had it been five years to the day since she had given birth to their miracle little girl? It felt like no time had passed and yet it also felt like decades too. Her mind wandered back to when her waters had broken on Giovanni’s birthday; he had looked like the cat who got the cream when he realised his daughter would be arriving the same day. Since the moment they’d found out she was due early September, Giovanni had been completely convinced she would arrive on his birthday, even going as far as to place bets with Kai and Gorka. He was so smug when it turned out he was right.

She watched, a huge grin on her face as he emerged from the castle, his hair sticking up in all directions and his face a brilliant shade of red. Tushaan laughed at him before Gio shoved him into the castle, the pair of them teasing each other in a way only two boys could. Ranvir watched her husband approach the back doors, slipping his shoes off before entering the kitchen.

“What’re you looking at?” He asked with a smile.

“Not as fit as you used to be huh?” Ranvir replied as he stepped into her space. She lifted her hand to brush his hair from his eyes as his arms wrapped around her waist.

“Lift this t-shirt,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“If I must,” she teased, her tongue poking between her teeth.

Ranvir raised the fabric of his t-shirt, his washboard abs making an appearance along with the tattoo on his hip of her initials.

“Still got the family pack,” Giovanni grinned down at her as she shook her head with a laugh.

“Yeah, yeah, thirty seven is still treating you well,” she stepped out of his embrace, returning to rinsing out the plastic cups before popping them in the recycling box.

“What were you thinking about just now?” He asked, pressing a kiss to her forehead before grabbing a washcloth and wiping down the kitchen counters, “you were in your own little world,”

“Just that I can’t believe she’s five,” Ranvir admitted.

“Can you believe she starts primary school tomorrow?”

“Please,” Ranvir choked out a laugh as she watched him over her shoulder, “I can barely believe T is starting college soon,”

“They’re growing up baby,”

She turned around fully and spotted Giovanni brushing tears from his cheeks.

“Everything okay?” She asked, leaning back on the sink as he cleaned. She watched him swallow and nod hastily.

“Time goes so quickly doesn’t it?”

“Babe,” she started before he interrupted her.

“Soon she’ll be starting big school and she won’t want anything to do with us anymore and then Tushaan will have moved out to become a doctor and we’ll be all alone in this big house with no children,”

“Giovanni,” Ranvir quickly stepped into his space as he spiralled, eyes wide as he stared back at her, “you really think T's going to be a doctor?" She raised an eyebrow confused before shaking her head and returning to the matter at hand, "calm down, Mai has only just turned five, we still have plenty of time with both of them,”

He nodded eyes still slightly wild.

“I just want to make the most of this time with them,”

“And we will,” she smiled softly as she placed her hands on his chest, “plus I’m offended you don’t want to be alone in this big house with me,”

Her teasing words brought him back down to earth and she almost laughed at the familiar glint in his eyes.

“I always want to be alone with you,” Giovanni grinned lasciviously. He dropped the dish cloth and lifted her onto the newly clean surface. “Why do you think I insisted on this place?”

“Ah yes, I remember,” she laughed, her hands buried in the hair at the base of his neck, “Ranvi, look how many rooms there are! T would have to search at least ten before he found us!” She mocked his Italian accent as he laughed at her.

“And was I right?” He asked as she squeezed his hips with her thighs. Ranvir rolled her eyes.

“As always,” she laughed, “but,” she added, “I was already pregnant then so your masterplan to knock me up in every room of the house didn’t exactly work out did it?”

“I was just so good I didn’t realise I’d already done it at the old place,” he winked at her teasingly.

Giovanni’s hands were stroking her sides under her t-shirt and she took a moment to truly appreciate the man before her.

When Tushaan had turned 9, Giovanni had suggested they move. With her Mum still living with them and everyone getting older it just made sense to buy a bigger property for the four (plus Shmizzels) of them. They hadn’t moved far; staying on the outskirts of London for work purposes and so that T could still go to the same school, but the new place was huge. Ranvir’s Mum had an entire floor to herself whilst Gio had managed to change one of the bedrooms into a dance studio and she had claimed her own office space too, looking out over the acres of land they now owned. It had been a dream come true and then a couple of months later, Ranvir had found out she was pregnant.

“She really was such a miracle,” Giovanni said softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

The two of them turned to look out the window, Tushaan giving Mai a piggy back to the treehouse and both of them sporting huge grins.

“I know I freaked out at the time but you’re so right,” Ranvir replied, “she was worth every second of that pregnancy,”

The hands that had been stroking her sides pulled her closer, fingertips dancing up her spine as he kept her pressed to his chest.

“Except the seconds where I thought I was going to lose you,” he mumbled into her hair.

Giving birth at forty five had not been without its complications. The entire pregnancy had been rough from beginning to end and despite Gio’s assurances that everything was going to be okay, she had lost a lot of blood and had been in the ICU for the first few days of Mirai’s life. Thankfully, both she and her little girl were fighters and within a couple of weeks they were both at home enjoying some mother daughter bonding time. Giovanni and Tushaan had been glued to her side for the first few weeks, attentive and caring until Ranvir had grown fed up of being told to sit down and had forced them out of the house for some alone time. After that incident the boys were much more subtle with their attempts at helping which she greatly appreciated.

“Can’t get rid of me,” she said softly, pulling back a little to look him in the eyes, “you said forever and always,”

“And I meant every word,” he reached for her hand on his neck, pressing a kiss first to the inside of her wrist and then to the ring on her ring finger before placing her hand over his heart.

“Me too,” she said.

Their wedding had truly been a beautiful ceremony. After proposing in the treehouse that he built for their daughter, they had gathered a few of their closest friends and family on a cliff in Sicily surrounded by the most stunning views as they exchanged vows. Giovanni had wanted to go all out but Ranvir had managed to persuade him to scale back a little bit since she had already done the whole thing once. She had however, allowed him to choose the honeymoon and that is how she found herself on a private island for two weeks with just Giovanni for company. It had been glorious but she had missed her kids.

They were interrupted by a scream from the garden, both them looking at each other in alarm. Giovanni ran for the back door, not bothering with his shoes as he sprinted out, Ranvir not far behind him.

“Daddy!”

“Mai! What are you doing up there baby girl?” Giovanni asked as he stared up at the treehouse.

Ranvir appeared at his side, her hand clutching her chest and breathing deeply when she realised her daughter wasn’t injured.

“T and I are playing!” Mai shouted back down, her long, dark pigtails almost hiding her face as she leaned precariously out the window.

“Don’t lean so far sweetheart,” Ranvir called, her heart rate accelerating again. The little girl disappeared inside with a giggle.

“Ten more minutes Mai and then it’s bedtime okay?” Giovanni shouted up as he checked his watch for the time.

The September evenings were deceptive. Summer was slowly giving way to autumn but the nights were still incredibly light and she knew they were about to get pushback from their ridiculously stubborn child.

“But Daddy!”

“There it is,” Ranvir mumbled, looking over at Giovanni.

“No buts,” he laughed, “we still have to do your hair and you’ve had a big day today,”

His tone had shifted to the voice he saved for Mirai and Ranvir rolled her eyes when she realised both Daddy and daughter were playing a game of who’s cuter. Mai’s head appeared out of the window again as she pouted down at them both.

“Mummy’s not going to do my hair,”

Ranvir laughed as she shook her head.

“No, Daddy will,”

Giovanni had learned how to French plait at Mai’s request, apparently Ranvir pulled a little too hard and her plaits always turned out lesser than his. She actually thought it was rather sweet and just affirmed Mai’s status as a Daddy’s girl.

“So ten more minutes okay?”

Mai nodded and promptly vanished back inside the treehouse with a loud sigh as she said to her brother:

“Parents!”

Ranvir could imagine the eye roll and Tushaan’s laugh as she and Giovanni made their way back inside.

“You want to do sandwiches or drinks?” She asked as he opened the back door and let her pass through first. Always the gentleman.

“Sandwiches,” he said, “you know how she gets if you forget the cucumber,”

“She’s _so_ your daughter,” Ranvir laughed.

-

“Mummy!”

Ranvir sighed, sliding her bookmark into place and shifting off of the couch to go and kiss her daughter goodnight.

“I’ve done my teeth,” Mai grinned at her from the top of the stairs.

“Ooh, let me see,” Ranvir replied as she approached her, “lovely and shiny,”

“Will you read me a story now?”

“Of course,” she gently stroked her daughter’s head as she ushered her back down the hallway to her room, “where’s Daddy? I thought he was reading tonight,”

Mai giggled.

“Come see,” she whispered conspiratorially.

Ranvir raised an eyebrow in confusion but followed her daughter into her room, both of them stopping in the doorway as they spotted Giovanni asleep in his daughter’s canopy bed, her copy of Giraffes Can’t Dance open on his chest.

Mai giggled beside her and Ranvir couldn’t help the grin that took over her features at the sight of him. She bent down to pick up her daughter and said:

“Shall we wake Daddy?”

“Well,” Mai pretended to think about it for a moment, “he did promise me a bedtime story,”

“You’re right and you shouldn’t break a promise,” Ranvir agreed, studying her daughter’s face seriously. Mai’s dark brown eyes stared back at her and she took a moment to admire how much of a perfect split of the two of them she was. A little on the shorter side of average with big eyes, dark hair and the most perfect smile it was like looking at all the best features of her and Giovanni combined.

“How are we gonna wake him up?” She asked, playing with the ends of Ranvir’s hair.

“Well, how would you like to be woken up?” This time Mai didn’t even hesitate before answering.

“Kisses! Lots of kisses!” She giggled. Ranvir chuckled quietly and carried her to her bed, setting her down gently on the covers.

“Ready?” She asked mischievously.

Her daughter grinned back at her, the sparkle in her eyes all Giovanni. She nodded and the two of them pounced. Mai pressed kisses to his face amongst a myriad of laughter whilst Ranvir went for his chest. Giovanni awoke with a start trying to get his bearings before he immediately rolled Mai over; both parents shared a look and then were kissing her instead as she tried to push them away. Her giggles filled the room and Ranvir felt like her heart might explode with the sound.

“Mummy! Daddy! Stop!”

They pulled back a little, Mai’s giggles trailing off and her face flushed. Giovanni flopped down next to her, pulling her until she was on top of his arm and motioning for Ranvir to join them on the other side.

“Are you ready for your story little one?” He asked, reaching underneath him for the book.

“I don’t want to go to bed,” she shook her head emphatically as Ranvir chuckled.

“You wound her up,” she mumbled, her hand on his chest.

“Oh like you weren’t part of it,” he replied softly and then a little louder for Mai, “you’ve got school tomorrow so you need to get your beauty sleep,”

“I’m already beautiful,”

“Ah,” Ranvir nodded, “just like your Dad,”

Mai scrunched up her nose.

“Daddy’s not beautiful!” She said before pointing at Ranvir, “Mummy’s beautiful,”

“And you know why Mummy’s beautiful?” She asked, trying to ignore the soft look Giovanni was giving her. Mai shook her head, “because she gets plenty of beauty sleep,”

“That’s right,” Gio agreed, “so it’s time for a bedtime story,”

Mai sighed heavily.

“Okay, fine,”

Ranvir grinned as Giovanni opened the first page of the book. He read aloud as Mirai shifted in his arms and turned to look worriedly at her parents.

“What if I don’t like school?” She asked quietly.

“Then Daddy will come and get you,” Giovanni said immediately. Ranvir slapped him on the chest lightly.

“Giovanni,” she hissed.

“But I promise you you’ll like it,” he added quickly at the death glare Ranvir was shooting him.

“I thought you were excited to meet all your new teachers?” Ranvir asked, reaching over her husband to push a stray hair out of Mai’s face.

“And play with my friends,” Mai added excitedly.

“There you go!”

“You’re going to love it,” Giovanni smiled down at her as she reached for the book.

“Okay, I’m ready,”

Ranvir watched as Giovanni started reading the story again using different voices for each of the characters. She felt her eyes fill with tears and swallowed heavily as she shifted in Giovanni’s arms. When she had met this man back in the hell year that was 2020 she never could’ve guessed they’d be preparing to send their daughter to school just seven years later. Maybe Mai was ready for a new chapter but Ranvir was perfectly happy with the story they had already written.

**Author's Note:**

> I could not stop thinking about Giovanni braiding his daughter's hair so I make no apologies for this. Hopefully you guys enjoyed :) OH and Mirai literally translates to miracle...


End file.
